


Silent Revelations

by Rosie2009



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Big Sisters, Family, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Little Sisters, Sad, Sisters, mostly angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27923005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosie2009/pseuds/Rosie2009
Summary: "I wasn’t able to save her this time, and now I will bear that guilt and sorrow for the rest of my life. A jolt of minor shock runs through me when I feel a tear run down my cheek. I cried when she was killed, but I believed that I had shed all of the tears I had then. I was quite obviously wrong." Kassandra and Phoibe family feels and angst. Also, SPOILERS.
Relationships: Kassandra & Phoibe (Assassin's Creed)
Kudos: 6





	Silent Revelations

I ride through the hills, Phobos carrying me with light feet as we make our way up the road toward a landmark that I have spotted upon the top of the mountain. At a distance, it appears to be a temple of Zeus.

I feel that this is the best place for me to go for the purpose I intend to fulfill. I do not intend to worship for I am long past the point of any kind of spiritual atonement. It is not a self-pitying statement, but rather an establishment of pure truth.

I see a shadow passing alongside me, cold and unforgiving in its dark movement. I cannot discern its exact shape, but I know that it is nothing alive that is following me.

It is something deeper and more troubling. Almost like a ghost of the past coming to haunt me in some way or another. I welcome it with grimness and stoicism. I know I cannot alter its path and determination to seek me out, because it is rather a shadow of my mind. It has come to bother me and me alone.

The top of the mountain is growing ever nearer. I am in no great rush, but I maintain a steady pace simply because I am so unaccustomed to any sort of peacefulness. It is _misthios_ instinct to keep moving forward.

The sky is starry tonight, but the moon is nonexistent. However, I can make out the vague shape of it in the sky above me. It is fitting. A life has waned recently, and it disappeared much too soon from the earth.

Phobos slows to a walk in the wake of the temple, and I pull on the reins gently, bringing him to a stop. I dismount carefully and stroke his neck thoughtfully, my mind not truly focusing upon my actions. He nudges me gently with his velvety nose, snorting quietly. He seems to almost sense my feelings.

It makes sense that I get along with animals better than people. They are so much more trustworthy and loyal than the human race. And they are not so easily disappointed or angered.

With one final pat, I turn to face the temple and I begin to climb up the side, hauling myself up the architecture. My movements feel a bit more sluggish and laborious tonight. Perhaps it’s because of my solemn mood.

I pull myself upon the roof, habitually steadying myself. But it isn’t that steep of an incline. There is a small elevated bit of the building that appears to be accessed from the inside of the temple. It appears to be some sort of topside place of worship. It must be for the rich and powerful of the area, because it is only big enough for about three people to comfortably fit and it has various expensive offerings.

It is odd, considering the fact that everyone is supposedly equal in the sight of the priests. Since it is not able to be seen from the front of the temple and is barely visible around the sides, its presence is likely not known by the poorer members of the community.

It will do for my purpose. I will only be here for one night. Perhaps not even that long.

The platform is not very high up, but nevertheless, it is tall enough that I cannot simply step upon it. So, I leap and grab the edge, hoisting upward so that I land upon my feet with relative ease.

Once I am up, I stop for a moment to enjoy the view. There are dots of fiery light upon the ground sprawling below the hillside, but the aspect of the view I am most particularly drawn to is the stars. They twinkle and glow and it almost seems as if I could grow lost in the vastness.

I lower myself to the floor and feel the sweet feeling of relaxation upon finally relieving my feet of their sometimes-overwhelming duties.

Silently I sit tonight, contemplating all that has happened in my journey. My father is not truly my father, my brother is still alive and is now the primary weapon of a group that is bent upon the destruction of Athens and Sparta, and I am only a ship’s ride away from seeing my mother for the first time since I was a child. And to think that not so long ago, I led such a simplistic life where all of my family was deceased or, at the very least in some instances, dead to me.

It is true that I have once attempted the journey to my mother’s home from what is left of Athens. But I stopped at a nearby island with an excuse upon my tongue concerning additional drachmae after Xenia’s lofty fee.

Perhaps what is closer to the truth is my desire to just quietly exist alone. In the midst of constantly having to defend myself from prostitutes, cult members, and Spartan as well as Athenian soldiers alike, I am exhausted, and I do not want any sort of interruptions.

I do not desire companionship and I will likely never want a lover. But I am lonely all the same. What I most sincerely seek and desire is a family— a taste of the sweet nectar that was my life before. I have the opportunity to gain part of my old family back. All it takes is the courage to set foot upon the _Adrestia_ and head out for Naxos.

But there is still that one piece that remains that can never be placed back in the puzzle. A piece that is still freshly upon my mind and honestly is the reason I am here tonight.

Sweet, poor Phoibe. This raw pain is foreign to me. It is so similar to when I believed I lost Alexios, but it is different as well.

I have done so many things of moral questionability, but I must wonder why a child had to atone for my wrongdoings. Why did it have to be Phoibe of all people?

We used to do so many things together. She always was like a gnat. A small, annoying gnat that one couldn’t help but pay attention to. But I loved her dearly. I was always fiercely protective of her. I trusted her to stay out of trouble well enough, but I guess I always thought that if she did get into trouble, I would be able to save her every time.

I wasn’t able to save her this time, and now I will bear that guilt and sorrow for the rest of my life.

A jolt of minor shock runs through me when I feel a tear run down my cheek. I have never cried. Never as an adult or a teenager. I cried when she was killed, but I believed that I had shed all of the tears I had then.

I was quite obviously wrong.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_“Kassandra, Kassandra!” The woman in question looked up from her task of carving, raising an eyebrow carefully at the little one that was a whole five-years-old running toward her. The child came to a stop, breathing heavily, but smiling all the same._

_“Yes… Phoibe?” Kassandra hesitantly asked._

_“You won’t believe what I just found out today!”_

_“There is very little you can tell me that I will be surprised about, but go on,” she gestured with her hand for the girl to continue, finding the child’s enthusiasm quite endearing despite the fact that she would never admit it aloud._

_“Okay, sit down, because this is going to be seriously crazy,” Phoibe warned with more seriousness than was to ever be expected for a girl of her age. Kassandra chewed the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Phoibe was cute, and at the same time, a little concerning to her._

_“I am fairly certain that I’m already sitting down, child. Now tell me what you need to tell me.”_

_“My caretaker is really a man.” Kassandra nearly choked upon that news. She had known Helen for a long time and had done a great deal of jobs for her. All that time, Kassandra had never gotten the inclination that Helen was anything but a woman. A careless, self-absorbed woman, but a female nevertheless._

_“And how did you come to that conclusion?” Kassandra questioned, genuinely curious as to what Helen had done to make the child think that she was a male._

_“She has no breasts and her voice is deeper than any woman’s I’ve ever heard.” Kassandra’s eyes widened a bit as she listened._

_“You are aware that she’s married to a man, yes?” Kassandra couldn’t help but interject._

_“What if it’s all a disguise to hide her true self?” Phoibe proposed, her little face scrunched in thought. Kassandra chuckled and shook her head, her fond exasperation evident in the sigh that quickly followed._

_“Phoibe, you need to think a little less about these things and focus on something else._ Ela _, have you stolen anything as of late, you thief?” Kassandra asked, trying to distract the young girl from her current embarrassing and slightly too nosy subject._

_Phoibe immediately lost her previous train of thought and her face lit up in a sly smile that was quite honestly terrifying when upon the countenance of a child as small as herself._

_“Yep!” Kassandra internally let out a breath of relief._

_“Tell me, then. What do you have?”_

_And the girl proceeded to explain the various things she had managed to steal throughout the course of the week during the time that Kassandra had not seen her._

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_“I wish I had an eagle,” Phoibe said for what Kassandra was completely certain was the five thousandth time in her short lifespan._

_“I am well aware,” Kassandra patiently replied, flashing her golden-brown eyes in Phoibe’s direction. However, Phoibe was much too joyful to pay any attention to Kassandra’s quiet and slight annoyance._

_“Oh, if I had one, we would do wonderful things! We would go everywhere together. I would feed him and give him a nice nest and pet him and---”_

_“You are aware that birds are not like dogs, right?” Kassandra interrupted, quirking an eyebrow in questioning._

_“Well, of course! But you still have to take good care of one!” Phoibe replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world before continuing in her monologue about her hypothetical bird caretaking techniques._

_Choosing to tune out Phoibe’s chatter, Kassandra focused upon the task at hand. She sliced the fresh meat held in her hands, looking it over to ensure that there were no bones in it that could choke Ikaros. After it had passed her inspection, she looked to the skies, giving a sharp whistle. Phoibe stopped in her excited babbling as she froze, following Kassandra’s gaze._

_To Phoibe’s pure enthrallment, Ikaros flew in, landing on Kassandra’s arm._

_“Hello, old friend,” Kassandra greeted, gently stroking underneath his chin. Ikaros leaned into the touch but eyed the meat nearby on the table greedily. Kassandra allowed a small smile to grace her lips. She reached over to the meat, but just before she took it, she could not help but acknowledge the little girl standing near her that could not take her eyes off of the bird._

_Kassandra looked between the meat and Phoibe, considering something that she had not quite thought of before. She wondered if it would be a good idea, but if it brought the child joy, then there surely could not be any harm in it…_

_“Do you want to feed him?” Kassandra hesitantly asked._

_“Can I?” Phoibe questioned, her eyes sparkling, and Kassandra felt the expression squeeze her heart a little. She huffed slightly, trying to rid herself of the odd feelings._

_“Sure. But the true question is may you?” Kassandra corrected, deciding that she would tease the girl slightly._

_“Kassandra,” Phoibe groaned impatiently but with the definitive sound of pure delight still in her voice, and the mercenary sighed deeply._

_“You may,” Kassandra finally conceded with a laugh in her voice and a slight twinkle in her eye that she knew would betray her lightheartedness. However, despite her average seriousness, she could not help her amusement in regard to the girl._

_Phoibe took the meat in her hands gently and Kassandra moved her arm slight so that the bird was a bit closer to the small girl. Kassandra took Phoibe’s hand gently and guided it toward his mouth._

_“Be careful when you reach out. Hold the meat in your hand and allow most of it to stick out from your fingers so he doesn’t confuse your fingers with fresh meat,” Kassandra explained before carefully letting go of Phoibe’s hand._

_Phoibe carefully proffered it to the bird, and Ikaros took it from her easily and without a hitch. As soon as he had Phoibe grinned excitedly, almost unable to remain still as she watched him. Kassandra smiled slightly, trying to keep from allowing too much of a grin to find its way onto her lips._

_“Woah!!! Did you see that?! Did you see it, Kassandra?!” Phoibe excitedly asked, and Kassandra chuckled lightly._

_“Yes. Well done,” Kassandra nodded in approval, and Phoibe’s chest puffed proudly with the praise. Kassandra gave the bird the remainder of his lunch, and Phoibe watched in awe as he flew away._

_“Wow… I wish I---”_

_“I know, Phoibe, I know.”_

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_“Hey, Kassandra! Where are you?” Kassandra leaned over to peer down from her perch atop her house where she had been looking at the stars and carving._

_“Is there something you need?” She barely managed to withhold the smile that threatened to break across her face upon the sight of the eight-year-old girl staring up at her with such amazement in her eyes._

_“Wow! How did you get up there?”_

_“I climbed?” Kassandra replied coolly, raising an eyebrow at the excitement on the child’s face._

_“Could you teach me?” Phoibe asked eagerly, bouncing in place with enthusiasm. Kassandra quickly descended the walls of her home, landing on the ground with a barely audible thud._

_She found it cute that the child was so enamored by the simple ascension of a structure. It truly wasn’t that extraordinary, but she guessed that Phoibe hadn’t ever really seen Kassandra climb her house before. Phoibe always came midday and never at night or early morning when Kassandra was most often on the roof._

_“I will help you climb, but may I first ask what you are doing here so late?” the mercenary questioned, stepping closer to Phoibe as she silently assessed her._

_Phoibe just shrugged and grinned wickedly as she looked up at the tall woman._

_“I will answer that after we’re on top of your house,” Phoibe told her as she went around Kassandra so that she could examine the wall. Kassandra groaned. Of course she would use a con. Kassandra supposed it was probably all part of the charm that came with her._

_Kassandra turned to face the wall as well, approaching it soundlessly. She resisted the urge to chuckle as the child started putting her feet on certain stones jutting out of the wall only to nearly fall on her behind after stepping up._

_“First of all, you need to get a firm hold on the wall with your hands,” Kassandra demonstrated carefully, gripping the rocks tightly with her calloused hands. She subtly noted Phoibe’s wince as her softer, more easily penetrated digits took hold of the wall._

_“Good,” Kassandra praised, one of her few and far between moments of expressing her satisfaction with what the girl did. “And now, pull up and right yourself with your feet,” Kassandra instructed, effortlessly doing it herself. Phoibe awkwardly followed her lead and Kasandra silently resolved to keep a close eye on the child as they climbed so that the little one wouldn’t fall._

_“From there, you simply continue to find places to grab with your hands and secure positions for your shoes,” Kassandra instructed, and Phoibe nodded carefully, furrowing her brow in pure concentration._

_They ascended slowly, and Kassandra resisted her initial urge to quickly scale the side of the house. It was such a familiar journey that her instinct dictated a certain amount of speed._

_Kassandra’s hand finally met the edge of the rock lining the top of the roof and she paused for a moment, hanging there as she watched the girl below her. She felt a sense of pride rise in her chest as the girl was successfully making her way up the wall._

_That was quickly replaced by intense fear as the girl faltered in her ascent. Her hands slipped from the rock, and she started to fall backwards._

_Kassandra reached down in a lunge, swiftly wrapping her hand around Phoibe’s much smaller wrist. Phoibe gasped as she looked at her rescuer. She then broke out into a huge grin that was somewhat sheepish._

_Kassandra rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help the small quirk at the corners of her lips._

_“_ Ela _, up you go,” Kassandra spoke, heaving upward mightily and allowing the girl to grab the edge of the rock. Phoibe held on tightly and she slowly tried to pull herself up._

_Kassandra easily climbed the rest of the way and then she offered her hand to the small girl. Phoibe gladly took it, and Kassandra picked her up high, placing her on the roof. Kassandra then sat down so that she could see the starry sky, picking up her recently left behind carving of an eagle._

_Phoibe then sat down next to Kassandra, looking up with a heavy sigh of something that was surely a mix of relief and exhaustion. Kassandra raised an eyebrow but remained silent as she waited for the girl to speak, knowing that something must be perturbing the girl for her to keep it from the mercenary in such a manner._

_“Kassandra, have you ever wondered about your parents? Well, your mother, I mean,” Phoibe suddenly questioned, and Kassandra knew that the girl had made the assumption that Markos was her father. The older girl simply blinked, somewhat taken aback by the inquiry but ultimately somewhat willing to address the issue in her usual blunt manner._

_It was true. Kassandra didn’t like to speak about her parents. However, she was not one to hold back the truth. Especially to Phoibe when it was matters that did not involve serious issues too old for young ears to overhear._

_“I… My_ mater _is gone,” Kassandra answered. And her father might as well be gone. However, she did not voice that particularly resentful thought aloud. Truthfully, she didn’t know what had come of any of her family except for the poor baby boy that she had so terribly failed._

_“I… Well, I had a dream tonight,” Phoibe finally told Kassandra, and she looked at her carefully, her brow furrowed in one of those very occasional open expressions of concern for the little one. Kassandra knew it wouldn’t take long for the girl to break, but it was still odd that she had so soon._

_“It was about my parents,” Phoibe continued. “We were all happy together, and… Well, it was so wonderful. We all lived in Athens, and my_ pater _was a great playwright, and my_ mater _was a magnificent seamstress,” Phoibe described, a large smile on her face as she described it all. However, that happiness quickly dissipated as she lowered her gaze sadly. Kassandra slightly furrowed her brow, looking down at the girl and tilting her head just barely._

_“And that is when I woke up,” Phoibe finished sadly. Kassandra sighed lightly, looking up at the stars. The young woman quite honestly was not sure what to say in comforting. She never was too good with words. She was always a woman of action._

_“Kassandra?”_

_“Hmm?” Kassandra made a sound somewhere between a grunt and a hum in reply._

_“I know that Markos raised you, but… what about your mother?” Phoibe questioned._

_“Do you ever… Do you ever dream of her?” Phoibe continued, and Kassandra paused, fighting her initial urge to keep her silence as all of the many nightmares surrounding that fateful night flooded her mind. However, she forcefully shook herself from those thoughts, knowing that to keep quiet for too long would raise suspicion. Besides, the child needed comfort._

_“Yes, I do,” Kassandra replied somewhat guardedly, but she knew she needed to find a better manner in which to make Phoibe feel less sad._

_“Would you tell me about one?” Phoibe questioned so innocently in a manner that was so opposite of her usual conniving self. It was in these rare moments that Kassandra truly saw her as the small child she was. Kassandra took a deep breath, trying to think of one of the more pleasant dreams that she had. Perhaps one with her mother. Unfortunately, none came to mind. So, therefore, she took a memory that she had of her mother, deciding that it would be the best option that she had._

_“Well,” Kassandra started slowly, recalling a particularly meaningful and happy one that she had. She could feel Phoibe’s gaze glued to the side of her face as she spoke._

_“We were out in the middle of a forest. A gorgeous forest alight with the rays of the midday sun,” Kassandra began, calling the memory more fully back to her._

_“Everything was lit up in a golden haze,” Kassandra described, moving her hand in a sweeping motion before her to demonstrate the entire effect._

_“I was out hunting, and I was creeping up behind a boar. I hesitated too long before making my kill,” the young woman spoke slowly, telling her story with the proper reverence that such a sweet memory deserved._

_“But before I could make my move, a broken spear came flying toward the boar, landing just close enough to it so that it ran away,” Kassandra explained carefully._

_“Who threw the spear? Or did your dream end?” Phoibe questioned with a large yawn, and Kassandra smiled slightly, recalling the memory._

_“No, it did not end. It was my_ mater _,” Kassandra told her with some mirth in her voice._

_“And was the broken spear the one that you carry?” Phoibe curiously asked, her voice sleepy. Kassandra hesitated, deciding that it would be best to simply keep this from the young girl._

_“Probably similar to it,” Kassandra finally settled on explaining it in that manner. It was the best option that she had, and she most certainly did not want to directly lie to the child._

_“And when she came out from behind a nearby tree, showing herself to me, she said that hesitation only hastens—”_

_“The grave?” Phoibe guessed, and Kassandra raised an eyebrow, looking at the little girl curiously._

_“Yes. How did you know that?” Kassandra asked with a bit of a smile curving the corners of her lips._

_“You have told me that many times. This dream must have really impacted your life,” Phoibe jokingly spoke, yawning widely again and sounding very tired indeed, and Kassandra shook her head._

_“Something like that. But she then complimented me on my form and resolve before commenting on my hesitation,” Kassandra recounted, and it was then that she realized that she would need to revise the end of this tale. If she were to uncover the fact that at that moment was when her mother gave her the spear of Leonidas, it would give away the fact that Kassandra was indeed not retelling a dream but rather a memory._

_“And then we decided to hunt together, chasing after the boar with both of our broken spears. And then I woke up,” Kassandra finished her story, feeling a little strange since she had to conjure a random story in her mind. She was, after all, not a poet._

_“Sounds like a wonderful dream,” Phoibe pointed out, and Kassandra nodded solemnly._

_“I wish I could have seen your_ mater _,” Phoibe admitted, letting her head fall against Kassandra’s shoulder. Kassandra stiffened slightly, immediately looking down at the girl. Phoibe was quite obviously very tired and had decided that Kassandra was a great resting place._

_Kassandra was completely at a loss as to how to handle the sudden contact. Kassandra had become accustomed to the fact that any physical contact was either in the form of unwanted advances or in the form of some sort of violence._

_But this… This was actually nice. Kassandra was not too sure how to react, but the weight of Phoibe’s head against the muscle of her shoulder was actually quite comforting, and she found it to be rather endearing._

_Kassandra swallowed lightly, afraid to move in case the girl would awaken, and she just settled for looking at the stars above them. She loosened herself and allowed herself to simply enjoy the warm touch._

_And when she finally laid down with Phoibe resting against her, it was the first night in quite a long time that she had actually had a restful sleep._

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I sniff hard, trying to hold back the stream of tears and the mess resulting. I cannot allow myself to grieve outwardly over this any longer.

The time for tears has passed. She is gone. The poor girl is gone, and there is a blackened hole within my heart that has been left behind in her wake. It is another broken shard of me that I shall never be able to regain.

I swallow, closing my eyes before looking to the sky.

“ _Aniazo_. I shall forever, sweet child.”

And with that small admission, I climb down from the temple and depart.


End file.
